Book Review: Geekerella

If you’ve read my reviews of Eliza and Her Monsters or This Adventure Ends (and maybe of a few others?), you know I love fandom in my YA contemporaries. It should therefore come as no surprise that Geekerella interested me most for its focus on fandom communities. The only downside to finding these awesome fandom-focused reads is that eventually I’ll probably reach a limit and not find them impressive anymore.

The Summary

In a world where Star Trek and Star Wars exist, there is a similar sci-fi TV show called Starfield that makes the geeks of the world go wild. When Starfield undergoes development as a movie with an all new cast, the ultimate Starfield fangirl Elle works to get into the ExcelsiCon cosplay contest without notice or interference from her horrible stepmother and stepsisters, all while striking up a new relationship with a guy who may or may not be the prince from her ultimately nerdy dreams…

The Analysis

I’ve talked enough about fandom across the posts of the blog to think it unnecessary for this post. Instead, I’ll go into something I haven’t encountered in many books. Geekerella is a contemporary retelling a fairytale. This kind of story happens a lot in movies and TV, but not in the books. Reading Cinderella’s story in this manner was so fun!

The details were lovely. Elle, despite being a child in a modern age, is expected to fix the ROOF of her house in a storm. The pumpkin carriage is a vegan food truck called the Magic Pumpkin. The prince is not really a prince, but rather an actor who plays a prince. Elle is nearly unrecognizable on multiple occassions in her cosplay. So many details were caught, in just the right way.

What Ashley Poston adds to the story is more of a background for the Cinderella x Prince Charming relationship. With Elle and Darien communicating via text long before actually meeting, there seems to be justification for their unexpected spark. Elle’s background as a blogger known for being critical of Darien’s acting also adds a needed bit of conflict to the relationship. The resolution to the romance is an A+++ moment.

The story also adds a needed bit of background for the two leads. Elle is tied forever to the fandom via the influence of her parents, which leads to many sweet moments as her venture into cosplay uncovers difficult memories. Darien’s life in acting is also an interesting addition to the pacing of the story, though it is perhaps the least essential part of the plot.

It’s a sweet story, a geeky story, and above all else, a Cinderella story. If you want an inventive take on common story, and you love some fandom geekery in your contempory reads, Geekerella is a great choice.